One of the most beautiful varieties is the weeping willow Salix x sepulcralis.The large tree enchants with its picturesque habit and is willingly planted in parks, large gardens and in the green of the estate.Perhaps due to its short life span, weeping willow is considered a symbol of fragility and transience. The Latin word sepulcralis means grave, graveyard.
The 'Chrysocoma' variety grows up to 15-20 m and has a relatively wide crown.It is characterized by a thick, solid trunk and a cascading arrangement of long, hanging shoots, often reaching the ground.The longest of them may be up to 6 m.Some trees form 2 or even 3 trunks. During the leafless period, the plants retain their decorative qualities thanks to delicate, yellow-colored shoots.
In spring, usually in April, both male and female flowers appear on the branches, which is rare in this genus, because most willow species belong to dioecious plants (male and female flowers appear only on separate plants) .Due to the predominance of yellow male flowers, the crown of the weeping willow remains almost entirely straw-colored until the first light green leaves appear.
Single cats are small and do not constitute any decorative value. The leaves of the weeping willow are lanceolate, gently serrated at the edge, pointed, green and shiny on top, and slightly gray-blue, dull on the bottom.
The weeping willow 'Chrysocoma' looks most beautiful alone, planted in large home gardens, in parks, especially by the water, where the ends of the twigs touch the surface of a pond or lake.These trees look amazing when planted on both sides of wide park avenues.
Cultivation requirements and care
Weeping willow is an easy-to-grow plant.Prefers fertile, humus-rich, moderately moist soils, but also does well in average soils.Trees require sunny positions, are fully frost resistant. Unfortunately, this species is susceptible to fungal diseases of the shoots, which can lead to the fall of small twigs and leaves.
In the case of large specimens, these diseases usually do not adversely affect the decorative value of trees.Besides, the branches of the weeping willow are quite brittle, in strong winds or during storms, old specimens may break off. Nevertheless, the decorative values and picturesque habit of weeping willow compensate for all its imperfections.
